Textile creel apparatus



O Umted States Patent 1111 3,543,981 1 [72] Inventors Elbert EMorrkon [56] References Cited Cllrliivillfl; UNITED STATES PATENTS R'Ymd 3,253,803 5/1966 Smithey 19/65(T)UX [211 App]. No. 686,173

3,332,124 7/1967 Beard 226/199X [22] Filed Nov. 28, 1967 I 3,345,695 10/1967 Rayfield 226/11X [45] Patented Dec. 1,1970

3,369,276 2/1968 Kalwa1tes... 226/195X [731 Buum 3 411 560 12/1968 Watson 19/66(T)UX 6 how, Ca a corporation of D l Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney-Cushman, Darby & Cushman ABSTRACT: A creel apparatus for creeling tow from a package or a plurality of packages, the apparatus flattening the tow into strands of predetermined width and keeping the strands straight and tensioned both when the tow is being [54] iggfi creeled or pulled from the apparatus and when the tow is staum m tionary in the apparatus. The creel apparatus is used for feed- [52] 0.8." 226/11, ing tow to textile processing machines such as converters, 19/65; 226/109, 226/195, 226/197, 226/199; gills, or the like. By having the tow fed from a plurality of [51] Int. B65ll 23/10 packages along each side of the creel apparatus and the tow [50] Field of Search 226/1 1, 88, fed from an end of the apparatus, the creel apparatus reduces the amount of floor space necessary for supplying tow totextile processing machines.

Sheet MY 6 M f MM jhf F M Y 7 HM M 5 v w v 5PM Patented Dec. 1, 1970 Patnted Dec. 1,1910 3,543,9-81- Sheet 5 if; 2 j 5 M WWW, N IIZLBAWET a ucfoy TUBA f);

TEXTILE CREEL APPARATUS The present invention relates to an improved creel 7 apparatus for creeling or pulling tow from a package or plurality of packages, flattening the tow into strands, and keeping the strands straight with a preset tension as the tow is being drawn from the same by a textile processing machine. While the creel apparatus of the present invention is preferably utilized for creeling any type of continuous filament tow, it may also be used in creeling high strength sliver yarns where it is necessary to keep the sliver yarns flat, straight and under a predetermined tension when being fed to a textile processing machine.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved creel apparatus for keeping tow from twisting and maintaining it in strands of predetermined width, thereby eliminating operator time for watching the creel apparatus thus resulting in more efficient operation. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved creel apparatus in which the tow may be easily threaded through the apparatus when setting up a run.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved creel apparatus which not only maintains a predetennined tension on the tow as the same is being pulled .or creeled from the apparatus but will also maintain this tension when the textile processing machine pulling the tow from the creel apparatus is stopped thus preventing the tow from slipping or crawling in the creel apparatus making starting of the textile processing machine easier and more efficient.

Afurther object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in which'the strands of tow are flattened and adjusted to a predetermined width as they enter the apparatus. Ancillary to the immediately preceding object it is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved creel apparatus in which a plurality of packages of tow may be fedto the same, the strands of tow being capable of simultaneously being adjusted to a predetermined width for each of the strands by spreading or compressing the same.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved creel apparatus in which a plurality of flat strands of tow may be pulled from the apparatus in edge-to-edge rela- FIG. 10 illustrates partly in elevation and partly in section a typical air brake assembly for applying a drag to the discharge rolls of the creel apparatus of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like character or reference numerals represent like or similar parts and-in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, the creel apparatus of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes an elongated frame structure 12 having inlet stations along each side thereof designated by the letter I and a discharge station at one end thereof designated by the letter D. The tow T, which passes into the creel 10 from packages 14, such as cartons, cans or the like, is flattened into strands at 16 and then either spread or condensed to a predetermined widthat. l8, turned to a path parallel to the axis of the frame at 20 and fed from the discharge station D to a textile processing apparatus generally designated at 22. The textile processing apparatus 22 may be a Pacific Converter or it may be a converter such as the converter disclosed and claimed in our copending application filed Nov. 28, 1967, and serially numbered 686,141. The converter 22 cuts or fractures the continuous filaments of the strands of tow into staple uniform length fibers and drafts the same into slivers and then it is coiled in cans for further processing.

The elongated frame structure 12 of the creel apparatus 10 includes four vertical standards 24 connected together by a pair of elongated side frame members 26 and at least a pair of cross or end members 28. The vertical standards 24, side members 26 and end members 28 may be I beams, I-I beams, or the like so long as they provide a rather rigid structure.

Each of the elongated side members 26 at the discharge station end D of the frame structure is provided with a downwardly depending member 30 for supporting one end of a fixed guide bar 32, the other end of the fixed guide bar 32 being fixedly supported by the respective vertical standards 24 farthest away from the discharge station D. Mounted on each of the guide bars 32 are a plurality of pigtails 34 for guiding the tow T from the respective packages 14. Mounted just above each of the guide bars 32 is a spreader-condenser bar tionship for reception by a textile processing machine, such as r a converter or the like, thus resulting in controlling uniformly the weight of the stock produced by the textile processing machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a creel apparatus having means thereon to determine the absence of tow therefrom, thereby stopping the; textile processing machine. I

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully'in. the following specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved creel apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 and illustrating the positioning of the eight packages of tow being fed through the creel apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the improved creel apparatus of the present invention looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in FIGS. I or 2, certain portions of the apparatus being omitted for purpose of clarity;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the apparatus looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIGS. 1 or 2, the view being on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the discharge end of the improved creel apparatus of the present invention, the view being partly-broken away;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 with portions being broken away for purpose of clarity;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tow brake assembly of the creel apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the brake assembly of FIG. 8, and

36 which has its ends suitably joumaled in bearings 38. Each of the spreader-condenser bars is provided with a pinion 40 at one of its ends which cooperates with a manually adjustable worm 42 so that the spreader-condenser bar 36 can be rotated about its longitudinal axis.As will be noted, each spreadercondenser bar 36 is provided with a plurality of arcuate or curved portions '44, there being one for each supply package,

the curved portion 44 defining the'gauge means for determining the width of the tow. If the tow passes over the convex portion 44, the tow will be spread and conversely, if it passes over the concave portion of the arcuate portion 44, it will be condensed. Thus, by turning the worms 42, the width of all of the strands of tow passing into the creel will be simultaneously gauged. As shown in FIG. 3, the curved portion 44 on the lefthand side of the FIG. is spreading the tow whereas the curved portion 44 on the right-hand side is condensing the tow although it will be understood that the condenser-spreader bars 36 will be oriented so that they both either spread the tow or condense the tow. Also as shown in FIG. 3 the worms 42 are mounted on a common shaft 43 and one crank handle 45 controls both of the worms 42.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, it will be noted that each of the longitudinally extending side frame members.26 is provided with a pair of upwardly and vertically extending frame members 50 and 52 respectively. A bracket 54 is fixedly supported on each of the members 50 and 52 and extends outwardly therefrom at an angle to the vertical. The brackets 54, at their outer ends, have rigidly secured thereto an elongated guide bar 56 over which the tow passes alter it has passed through the pigtails 34, the tow then passing downwardly beneath the lower guide bar 32 and then upwardly through the U-shaped guides 33 supported on the guide bar 32 as best shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. From the U-shaped guides 33 the tow then passes over the curved portion 44 of the spreadercondenser bar 36 to the turning station 20.

Referring back to the elongated guide bar 56, it will be noted that there are a plurality of short guide bars. 58 cooperating with the same with the strands 'of tow being passed therebetween. In more detail, a pivot bar or rod 60 mounted in insulated bearings 62 carried by the upper end of the members 50 extends along the length of the frame structure 12, the pivot bearings 60 being generally parallel to the guide bars 56 as will be best understood by reference to FIG. 9. Each of the short guide bars 58 is individually pivotally connected by means of the pivot arms 64 to the pivot bar 60 and thus the same rests upon sliver passing over the guide bar 56. The guide bars 56 and 58 cooperate to flatten the tow into strands and provide a sufficient drag on the same as it is being pulled through the frame structure so that the tow remains in flat strands with no crimp or the like.

By having the pivot bar 60 mounted in insulated bushings 62, the bar 60 is not grounded to the frame structure when tow is passing beneath each of the short guide bars 58. However, if the supply of tow is interrupted from any of the supply packages 14, then the particular short guide bar 58 will pivot downwardly and contact the guide bar 56 thus grounding the bar 60 to the frame. A wiring circuit 66 connected to the pivot bar 60 is provided with a relay 68 which, when energized, will open the circuit to the motor M for the converter thus stopping the converter. The only time the circuit 66 can be energized is when tow is notpassing between any one of the guide bars 58 and the main guide bar 56 and if this occurs it will now be obvious that the circuit 66 will be grounded so that it is energized thus'energizing the relay 66 to open the circuit to the motor M for the converter to thereby stop the converter from further pulling tow from the creel until the supply of tow is replenished for the exhausted supply package 14.

While the guide bars 58 are individually pivotally mounted on the pivot bar'60, the pivotbar itself is capable of being rotated about its longitudinal axis. Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be noted that an A-frame 70 is supported on the upper portion of the main frame structure 12 of the creel 10. The A- frame is provided with an insulated bushing 72 which in turn supports an air cylinder 74, the air cylinder having a piston arm 76 with a clevis 78' onits end. The clevis 78 is provided with a pin 80 that'slides in the slots 82 of a pair of brake operating levers 84. The brake operating levers 84 are fixedly attached to the pivot bar 60 by means of the clamp bolts 86, and clamping plate 88 (FIGS. 8 and 9).

Fixedly attached to the pivot bar 60 are a plurality of levers 90, the levers 90 being formed in two sections 92 and 94. There is one lever arm 90 forcooperation with each of the guide bars 58. Sections 92 and 94 of the lever arms 90 are fastened together by a bolt 96 which extends throughan oversized hole in the section 92 and is threaded into a hole in the other section 94. A nut 98 locks the bolt in position and a coil spring 100 normally urges the two sections together.

The air cylinder 74 is connected to an air line 102, the other end of the air line 102'being connected to a solenoid operated air valve 104. As shown schematically in FIG. 5, air is supplied to the valve 104 by 'an air line 106 which in turn is connected to a manifold 108 extending from a suitable source of air pressure P. The solenoid of the solenoid operated air valve 104 is connected by leads 110'and 112 to the circuit 114 for the motor M of the converter. Thus, when the converter motor is operating, current is supplied through the circuit 110, 112 to the solenoid operated air valve 104 to energize the same to thus close the same relieving. the air pressure within the cylinder to permit the piston rod 76 to be drawn downwardly and thus pivot the respective pivot bars 60 so that the levers 90 are raised out of contact with the guide bars 58. However, when the motor to the textile processing machine such as the converter stops, the circuit 110, 112 is broken so that the solenoid in'the solenoid operated air valve 104 is deenergized. This opens the air valve permitting air under pressure to be supplied to the air cylinder 74 to cause the pivot bars 60 to be rotated in a direction to cause the levers 90 to pivot downwardly until their outer sections 94 engage the guide bar 58 and clamp the same tightly against the tow passing between the bar 58 and the bar 56.

A pair of longitudinally extending guide bars 116 are provided along each side of the frame structure 12, the guide bars 116 being adapted to receive the strands of tow after they have passed over the spreader-condenser bar 36. The purpose of the guide bars 116 is twofold in that, first, they provide a means of turning the strands of tow T at least toward the longitudinal axis of the frame structure 12 and secondly they provide a means of supporting the V-shaped tow turning bars 118 which lie in a horizontal plane facing the discharge station D. The tow passes over the bar 116 and then under and over the tow turning bars 118 where it isagain turned 90 in the direction toward the discharge station D. Suitable guide bars 120 and 122 are provided for each of the tow turning bars 118, the tow T being passed consecutively about the bars 120 and 122 and led toward the discharge station 1).

Referring specifically to FIG4 of the drawings, it will be noted that the discharge station D includes a plurality of rolls suitably journaled in the standards'24. Cooperating with each roll 130 is a flap bar 132 which rests by gravity on the tow T passing around the roll 130 and a front stationary guide .bar 134 about which the tow T passes as his pulled from the creel. The rolls l30 each have an end 136 which extends through one of the standards 24, the end 136 being fixedly secured by a setscrew 138 to the brake flange 140 of an air brake drag assembly 142. The air brake drag assembly 142 also is provided with a brake shoe 144 mounted for movement by a series of bolts 146 to a body section or housing 148 of the assembly which is fixedly fastened to the leg or standard 24. A suitable bearing 150 is provided between the flange 140 and the body section 148 to permit relativerotation therebetween. An air line 152 extending to the manifold 108 provides air under predetermined pressure to one side of the brake shoe 144' thus causing the brake shoe to engage and put a predetermined drag on the flange 140. The pressure used to apply the drag is controlled by a pressure regulator 160, the same also controlling the pressure applied to the air cylinder 74 through the air valve 104.

The purpose'of the brake assembly 142 is twofold in that it puts a constant drag on the strands of tow T being pulled from the creel apparatus 10 and secondly it cooperates with the guide bars 58 to apply a predetermined tension on the strands of tow'between the tension section 16 and the discharge station D. Additionally, the brake assembly 142 prevents the rolls from free rotating when the converter is stopped and thus when the pivot arms 90 are actuated to cause the guide bars 58 to clamp the tow at the station 16, the tow between the station 16 and the discharge end D does not creep due to the natural crimp therein. Thus, upon restarting of the converter 22,- the operator does not have to pay particular attention to the creel as the strands of tow already have the proper tension thereon when they are being pulled from the discharge end of the same.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the threadingof the creel from any of the particular supply packages 14 may be described as follows: first the end of the tow'of the particular package 14 concerned is fed upwardly through the pigtails 34 over the upper guide bar 56 with the small guide bar 58 resting down on the same to apply a tension by gravity thereto. The tow T is then threaded downwardly from the guide bar 56 beneath the lower guide bar 32 and up between the U-shaped guides 33 to the spreader-condenser bar 36 where the flat strand is either spread or condensed to a desired width. This width is maintained throughout the rest of the creel with the strandof tow being passed at least 90 around the upper guide bar 116 and then it passes about one arm the tow turning bars 118 so that its path of movement is then toward the discharge end D where the converter 22 is located. Of course, the tow is threaded about the bars 120 and 122 and then about the flap bars 132 around the rolls that provide a drag on the same and then around the stationary bars 134' into the converter. Tow from supply packages 14 on opposite sides of the frame structure 12 are discharged in edge-by-edge relationship at the discharge end D of the creel, the strands of tow also being arranged one on top of the other as desired.

Once the tow from each of the supply packages has been threaded through the machine in the manner described, the converter 22 is then ready for operation. When the converter 22 then starts pulling the tow T through the creel 10, a drag is placed on the tow when it passes over the discharge rolls and also a drag is placed on the tow as it passes through the flattening section 16 where the bar 58 presses down against the tow with the tow riding over the bar 56. If the supply of tow Tfrom any of the supply packages 14 is exhausted or if thestrand breaks, then the short guide bar 58 will drop down against the bar 56 thus providing a ground for the circuit 66 thereby ener gizing the relay to break the circuit to the motor M of the converter so that the same may be stopped. When the supply has been replenished, then the converter 22 can be started again and the operation continued. if the converter is stopped at any time during the course of a run, the tension on the tow between the discharge end of the creel and the station 16 where the tow is flattened is maintained constant as the electric circuit 1 -412 is deenergized thus opening the air valve 104 to allow air under pressure to the bottom of the air cylinder 74. This in turn extends the piston rod 76 causing the operating levers 84 to move upwardly about their pivot joint on the pin 80. The pivot rods or bars 60 are rotated carrying with them the lever arms 90 which in turn bear down against the top of the guide bars 58 causing the guide bars to clamp the tow T tightly to the bar 56. Since air pressure is maintained on the drag brake assembly 142, the rolls will not turn and thus the tow between these rolls and the station 16 will be kept in a taut condition enabling efficient starting of the converter without the operator having to constantly watch the creel apparatus.

The foregoing description of the apparatus and the accompanying drawings effectively accomplish the objects and advantages of the present invention. However, certain modifications may be made to the apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for creeling tow from a supply package to a textile processing machine while maintaining the tow straight, under tensionand without twist in the ends of thetow: a frame structure through which the tow is threaded, said frame structure having an inlet station and a discharge station; straightening and drag applying means on said frame structure at said inlet station for straightening tow from said supply package into a generally flat strand of tow with a drag thereon; means on said frame structure for receiving the flat strand of tow from said straightening and drag applying means and for adjusting the width of the flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means at the discharge station of said frame structure for discharging the flat strand of tow to the textile processing machine; drag applying means positioned at said discharge station for applying a predetermined drag on the tow being discharged to thereby control with said straightening and drag applying means tension of the tow between said discharge station and said inlet station; and positively actuated means at said discharge station and clamping means at said inlet station, each operative when said textile processing machine is stopped for maintaining the tension on the strand of tow in said frame structure substantially equal to the tension on the strand of tow in said frame structure when the textile processing machine is operating.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said straightening and drag applying means includes a fixed bar on said frame structure over which the tow passes and a second bar pivotally connected to said frame structure and resting upon tow passing over said fixed bar.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including means to insulate said second bar from said frame structure when tow is passing beneath the same; and an electric circuit means connected to said second bar and including a relay for stopping the textile processing machine, said circuit means and relay being energized when there is no tow between said fixed bar and said second bar so that said second bar contacts said first bar and provides a ground through said frame structure.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for adjusting the width of the flat strand of tow includes an arcuate bar pivotally mounted on said frame structure in the path of the flat strand of tow, said arcuate bar being pivotal on an axis transverse of movement of said tow and parallel to the plane of said tow whereby the strand of tow may be spread or condensed, and means for selectively pivoting said arcuate bar.

5. In an apparatus for creeling a plurality of strands of tow from a plurality of supply packages and feeding the same in a flattened condition to a textile processing machine while maintaining the strands of tow straight, under tension and without twist; an elongated frame structure having an inlet station along at least one side of the same for the supply packages and a discharge station at one end of the same for discharging the strands to the processing machine; straightening and drag applying means on said frame structure along at least one side thereof at the inletstation for receiving, straightening and applying a drag to each of the strands of tow as the same is fed from the respective supply packages, said last-mentioned means straightening each of the strands of tow into a generally flat strand as drag is applied thereto; means extending along at least one side of said frame structure for receiving each in dividual flat strand of tow from said straightening and drag applying means, said last-mentioned means simultaneously adjusting the width of each flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means supported in said frame structure at the discharge station therefor for receiving and discharging the flat strands of tow to the textile processing machine; drag applying means positioned at said discharge station for applying a predetermined drag on each of said strands of tow to control the tension of each of said strands of tow between said discharge station and said inlet station; and positively actuated means at said discharge station and clamping means at said inlet station each operative when the textile processing machine is stopped for maintaining the tension on each of said strands of tow in said frame structure substantially equal to the tension on each of said strands of tow in said frame structure when the textile processing machine is operating.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said receiving and straightening means includes a fixed bar extending longitudinally of said frame structure over which the strands of tow pass, a plurality of bars each pivotally connected to said frame structure and resting upon one of the strands of tow passing over said fixed bar.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including means to insulate said plurality of pivotal bars from said frame structure when tow is passing beneath said pivotal bars; and an electric circuit means having a common lead to each of said pivotal bars and including a relay for stopping the textile processing machine, said circuit means and relay being energized when there is no tow between said fixed bar and any of said pivotal bars as said frame structure provides a ground through the same.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said means for simultaneously adjusting the width of the strands of tow includes a bar pivotally mounted on said frame on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame, said bar having a plurality of arcuate sections in the respective paths of the strands of tow whereby pivotal movement of the same causes the strands of tow to be simultaneously spread or condensed; and selectively operable means for pivoting said last-mentioned bar to adjust the width of the strands of tow.

9. In an apparatus for creeling tow from a supply package to a textile processing machine while maintaining the tow straight, under tension and without twist in the ends of the tow: a frame structure through which the tow is threaded; means on said frame structure for receiving and straightening tow from said supply package into a generally flat strand of tow,'said receiving and straightening means including a fixed bar on said frame structure over which the tow passes and a second bar pivotally connected to said frame structure and resting upon tow passing over said first bar; means on said frame structure for receiving the flat strand of tow from said straightening means and for adjusting the width of the flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means on said frame structure for discharging the flat strand of tow to the textile processing machine; means to control the tension of the tow between said discharge means and said straightening means, said tension control means including means to provide a drag on the strand of tow passing through said discharge means; and means to maintain tension on the strand of tow between said discharge means and said straightening means substantially equal to the tension controlled by said control means, said means including means to cause said second bar to clamp said tow against said fixed bar when the textile processing machine is stopped so that the strand of tow between he discharge means and the straightening means is held taut and prevented from creeping.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which said discharge means includes a roller over which tow passes and in which said drag means includes an air brake operatively connected to said roller and providing a drag on the same when tow is being pulled from the apparatus by the textile processing machine and a brake when the textile processing machine is stopped.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which said means for clamping. said second bar against said fixed bar includes an air cylinder for operatively engaging said second bar and'pivoting the same into clamping contact, said air cylinder being operable upon stopping of the textile processing machine.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 including means to insulate said air cylinder from 'said frame structure, means to insulate said second bar from said frame structure when tow is passing beneath the same; and electric circuit means connected to said second bar and including a relay for stopping the textile processing machine, said circuit means and relay being energized when there is no tow between said fixed bar and said second bar so that said second bar contacts said first bar and provides a ground through said frame structure.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which said means for adjusting the width of the flat strand of tow includes an arcuate bar pivotally mounted on said frame structure in the path of the flat strand of tow, said arcuate bar being pivotal on an axis transverseof movement of said tow and parallel to the plane of said tow whereby the strand oftow may be spread or condensed; and means for selectively pivoting said arcuate bar. 5

14. In an apparatus for creeling tow from a supply package to a textile processing machine while maintaining the tow straight, under tension and without twist in the ends of the tow: a frame structure through which the tow is threaded; means on said frame structure for receiving and straightening tow from said supply package into a generally flat strand of tow; means on said frame structure for receiving the flat strand of tow from said straightening means and for adjusting the width of the flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means on said frame structure for discharging the flat strand of tow to the textile processing machine; means to turn the path of movement of the strand of tow 90 after the strand of tow has passed through said width adjusting means, said strand turning means including a bar mounted in said frame structure at a substantially 45 angle to the path of movement of the strand of tow from said discharge means and lying in a plane generally parallel to the plane of movement of the tow to said discharge means; and means to control the tension of the tow between said discharge means and said straightening means.

15. In an apparatus for creeling a plurality of strands of tow from a plurality of supply packages and feeding the same in a flattened condition to a textile processing machine while maintaining the strands of tow straight, under tension and without twist: an elongated frame structure having an inlet station along at least one side of the same for the supply packages and a discharge station at one end of the same for discharging the strands to the processing machine; means on said frame structure along at least one side thereof for receiving and straightening each of the strands of tow as the same is fed from the respective supply packages, said means straightening each of the strands of tow into a generally flat strand; means extending along at least one side of said frame structure for receiving each individual flat strand of tow from said straightening means, said last-mentioned means simultaneously adjusting the width of each flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means supported in said frame structure at the discharge station therefor for receiving and discharging the flat strands of tow to the textile processing machine, said discharge means including at least one roll supported in said frame structure for receiving the strands of tow and discharging the same to the textile processing machine; and means to control the tension of each of said strands of tow between said discharge means and said straightening means, said means for controlling the tension on said tow including drag means on said roll of said discharge means.

16. in an apparatus for creeling a plurality of strands of tow from a plurality of supply packages and feeding the same in a flattened condition to a textile processing machine while maintaining the strands of tow straight, under tension and without twist: an elongated frame structure having an inlet station along at least one side of the same for the supply packages and a discharge station at one .end of the same for discharging the strands to the processing machine; means on said frame structure along at least one side thereof for receiving and straightening each of the strands of tow as the same is fed from the respective supply packages, said means straightening each of the strands of tow into a generally flat strand; means extending along at least one side of said frame structure for receiving each individual flat strand of tow from said straightening means, said last-mentioned means simultaneously adjusting the width of each flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means supported in said frame structure at the discharge station therefor for receiving and discharging the flat strands of tow to the textile processing machine; means to control the tension of each of said strands of tow between said discharge means and said straightening means; and means to maintain tension on the strands of tow between said discharge means and said straightening means substantially equal to the tension controlled by said tension control means, said means including means to simultaneously clamp the strands of said tow at said straightening means.

17. In an apparatus for creeling a plurality of strands of tow from a plurality of supply packages and feeding the same in a flattened condition to a textile processing machine while maintaining the strands of tow straight, under tension and without twist: an elongated frame structure having an inlet station along at least one side of the same for the supply packages and a discharge station at one end of the same for discharging the strands to the processing machine; means on said frame structure along at least one side thereof for receiving and straightening each of the strands of tow as the same is fed from the respective supply packages, said receiving and straightening means includes a fixed bar extending longitudinally of said frame structure over which the strands of tow pass, a plurality of bars each pivotally connected to said frame structure and resting upon the respective strands of tow passing over said fixed bar, a pivot bar to which said plurality of bars are individually pivotally connected, said means straightening each of the strands of tow into a generally flat strand; means extending along at least one side of said frame structure for receiving each individual flat strand of tow from said straightening means, said last-mentioned means simultaneously adjusting the width of each flat strand of tow to a predetermined width; discharge means supported in said frame structure at the discharge station therefor for receiving and discharging the flat strandsot tow to the textile processing machine; means to control the tension of each'of said strands of tow between said discharge means'and saidstraightening means; and means to maintain tension on the strands of the tow between said discharge means and saidstraightening means substantially equal to the tension controlled by said tension control means, said last-mentioned means including a plurality of arms extending from said pivot bar of said receiving and straightening means, and means for pivoting said pivot bar to cause said arms to engage said plurality of bars and cause the latter to simultaneously clamp the strands of the tow.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 in which said means for pivoting said pivot bar includes an air cylinder operatively connected to said pivot bar for pivoting the same on its axis, said air cylinder being operable to cause clamping of the strands of tow when the textile processing machine is in- 

